The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has cautioned heads of security agencies that he will not take responsibility for financial transactions that do not pass through his office.
His warning comes amid the Public Account Committee’s scrutiny of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) over a GH¢3 million resubmitted settled commitment.
Addressing the Committee on Tuesday, March 31, the Minister said he had observed a growing trend where agencies bypass their sector ministry and communicate directly with the Ministry of Finance, a practice he said creates confusion, duplication, and weakens accountability.
He explained that such lapses often result in repeated submissions and administrative inefficiencies, with documents being processed multiple times without proper coordination.
“You’ll be sitting there, then all of a sudden something comes up, and you are not aware… before you realise the repetition is happening,” he stated.
Mr. Mubarak revealed that he has formally directed the Chief Director to ensure that all expenditure requests and official correspondence from agencies under the ministry are submitted through his office.
“I told the Chief Director that if they don’t pass their expenditures and letters through me, they should not call me to come and answer for them; I won’t answer for anything that did not pass through me,” he stressed.
According to the Minister, the directive is intended to streamline communication, eliminate duplication, and strengthen oversight within the sector.
He cited the Ghana Immigration Service as an example, noting that multiple deputies could submit separate requests, further complicating coordination if proper channels are not followed.
The Interior Minister maintained that enforcing this directive will enhance accountability and improve administrative efficiency across security agencies under his supervision.
